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1、There-itcan-CHAPTERFOURMelissaA.Macauleyde.?letelyty,andCivilandUncivilDisputesintfunc-muchSoutheastCoastalChina,I723-I820canbe:mustniningWHENCHINEsEPEAsANTscouldnotresolvetheirdis-putesoverland,debts,marriage,andother,primarilyprop-erty,issues,theyturnedtotheyamencou
2、rtsforasettlement.Farfromabhorringthestatecourtsystem,afterthemid-Mingtheyin-creasinglyreliedonstatestructurestoresolvedisputeswhichwerebeyondthepowersoflocalpeopleofinfluencetoaddresssatisfacto-rily.Thistrendwasstrenuouslyresistedbyimperialauthorities,whocampaignedto
3、eradicatewhattheylabeledthe"litigiousness"oftheChinesepeoplebystatutoryandrhetoricalappealstotradi-tionalstructuresofharmony.Thischapterispartofalargerworkexploringtherelationshipbetweenlitigationbrokers(songgunorsongshi)andlitigationre-sultingfrompropertydisputesinla
4、teimperialChina.Thechapterfocusesonsomeofthepeculiaritiesof"pettifogging"andlitigationinsoutheastcoastalChinaduringtheeighteenthandearlynine-teenthcenturies.WhilecivildisputesinsouthernFujianandeast-ernGuangdonginmanywaysreflectedsimilarstrugglesthroughoutChina,thereg
5、ion'ssystemoflandtenureanditspopulation'sviolentproclivitiesgavethelegalcultureofthesoutheastcoastaspecialcharacter.AtleastsincetheSong,officialdomhadcriticizedthosewhoassistedothersinpressinglawsuits.Butbythesixteenthcentury,therehademergedadistinctsocialtype:thesong
6、gun(litigationtrickster)orsongshi(litigationmaster](Kawakatsu1981:III;Ma-cauley199I:5-I5).Litigationbrokerswereusuallymembersofthe86MelissaA.Macauleylowerechelonsofthescholarlyelitewhofacilitatedaccesstothe1denlo(governmentcourts.Officialsroutinelycondemnedthemforinci
7、tinggationlitigation,forencouragingfalseorexaggeratedaccusations,foren-ofFuji;ablingpeasantsandurbanitesaliketopressunwarrantedappeals,fortieshacolludingwith"rapaciousyamenunderlings,"andforrenderinglo-could1calaffairsunnecessarilyacrimonious.Therewereenoughincidentsi
8、pendinofsuch"pettifogging"activitiesthroughoutChinatoreinforcethethrougofficialviewofthesemen.!casesvNevertheless,peasantsdi
